Thank you for the simple answer to my first question...never thought to look there.

Re the second part...I have selected to show the "index number" behind the photos (under Library view Options). Next to the keyword there is a number...eg 345 but when I open the folder in question there are only 234 photos in the folder? Hope that makes sense?

Are your keywords arranged in a hierarchy? For this particular keyword, can you click on the little disclosure triangle to see any "sub-keywords"?

The grid view display (with its index numbers) shows all of the photos containing the selected keyword OR any of its "child" sub-keywords. But the keyword count (next to the keyword name on the right panel Keyword List) only reflects the number of photos *DIRECTLY* tagged with that keyword. The count does not reflect any photos tagged with 'children" of that keyword (which "inherit" the parent keyword).

In most cases, if you add up the keyword counts for a keyword and each of its children - the total should be the number of photos being displayed in Grid View (eg, the highest index number).

When you say, "when I open the folder in question", I think you are clicking on the arrow to the right of keyword in the Keyword List pane? This shows all the photos that are assigned the keyword or keywords contained by that keyword (it doesn't show a "folder"). The number shown to the right of a keyword in the Keyword List is the number of photos assigned the keyword (not counting photos to which contained keywords are assigned).

So if the number to the right of the keyword doesn't match the number of photos shown in grid view, make sure that you've selected the source Catalog > All Photographs in the left-hand pane. If you've selected another source, such as a true folder, you'll only see the subset of photos in that source assigned the keyword, which could be less than the total number of photos in the catalog assigned the keyword.

I will try and explain in more detail to ensure we don't talk past each other.

I'm in "Catalog" and "All Photographs" is highlighted.

I selected to show the "Index Number" under "Library View Options".

In "Keyword List" I have main keywords such as Europe, Africa and Asia with no number to the right of it.

If I open the Europe keyword I have a list of countries each of them with a number next to them.

Next to Spain there is now showing the number 46.

I open "Spain" by clicking on the arrow to the right of the number.

Now all the photos with the Spain tag is shown but there are only 23 photo. Under Portugal there is 80 shown but only 40 photos is shown. Under Ireland the keyword only 11 is shown but once open there are 1132 photos.

There is not one keyword with the correct number next to it.

As a fairly new LR user it just appears to me that the two function don't "speak" or "correlate" with each other.

In my LR 4.1RC1, a raw+JPEG pair shows up as one image in the Library grid view. And it counts as 1 image in the total count shown to the right of the keyword in the Keyword List pane. So at least in my config, Jeremy 2's hypothesis doesn't seem to apply.

Posting a screen shot of the entire LR screen illustrating the bad behavior might give a lot more clues.

Your screen shot indicates you have a Custom Filter set. Your catalog contains 46 photos tagged with "Spain" - but only 23 of them are being displayed, probably because of the filter you have set. Clear the filter (lower right) and see what happens.

EDIT: of course you have a custom filter set for keyword = "spain" but my point is perhaps you have some additional filter criteria set that is limiting the number of photos visible.

I noticed in the screenshot that this catalog was converted from PSE 9. Where the Spanje photos in the PSE 9 catalog? If so, if you open up the PSE 9 catalog, how many photos are shown there with that keyword? (There have been other reports of occasional inconsistencies with LR 4's conversion of PSE catalogs, so I wonder if that's what's going on here.)

I have a related question. The index number for the photos, ie: 1-45 is in the Left upper corner. My problem is that it is so translucent that I can't read it. Can anyone tell me how I can increase the opacity so I can read it?